This facility will contain a set of test beds for building systems integration designed to address key technical challenges for net-zero energy buildings. The Department of Energy solicited research applications from eligible national laboratories nationwide, which then underwent a thorough technical review process.

Buildings account for more than 40 percent of carbon emissions in the United States. Net-zero energy buildings (N-ZEB) generate as much energy as they use on an annual basis through highly aggressive energy efficiency and on-site renewable energy generation, making them a key pathway to address and reduce these climate-altering emissions. The new laboratory facilities will help researchers develop, test and validate the technologies, systems and design approaches that will allow N-ZEB to be built and operated at an affordable cost.

 ”This facility will serve a national audience-and need-in an aggressive pursuit of DOE’s energy efficiency goals for widespread implementation of affordable net-zero energy buildings by 2030, ” says Stephen Selkowitz, head of the Building Technologies Department of Berkeley Lab’s Environmental Energy Technologies Division.

Berkeley Lab researchers will work with a broad base of users in the building design and construction communities, as well as manufacturers, building owners and operators and the academic community.

In proposing for the N-ZEB award, Berkeley Lab teamed with numerous organizations, including 21 industry partners, three utilities, eight universities, a non-profit and three public agencies, all of whom indicated their support and interest in using the facility. Major partners include the University of California, Berkeley, MIT, Carnegie Mellon, HOK, Flack + Kurtz, Philips Research, Johnson Controls, Lutron, Siemens, the California Energy Commission and the U.S. General Services Administration.

Several Testbeds Planned

The new N-ZEB facility will consist of a series of unique energy-efficient building systems testbeds to be located in new and existing buildings on the Lab. Researchers will be able to change out prototype building systems such as windows, lights, heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC), energy control systems, roofs and skylights. The basic idea is to conduct initial measurements of energy use and environmental conditions to understand how the systems perform, and then to redesign and optimize their capabilities and performance.

The building systems integration testbed will consist of several large side-by-side research areas. Each area can employ a range of diverse and changeable HVAC systems, lighting, on-site power and process-load solutions, as well as the building’s “envelope” of windows, walls, floors and related fixtures, for real time performance comparisons under dynamic climate conditions.

Other separate testbeds will be constructed for specific buildings subsystems such as lighting systems and controls, and window and façade systems. One testbed will be devoted to the topic of advanced sensor networks and building energy controls, and the communications protocols that link optimized building performance to smart grid initiatives. Final details of the new facilities will be worked out with Department of Energy staff to meet cost targets and schedule deadlines.

Hardware and Software R&D To Be Conducted

The N-ZEB User Facility will be used by scientists to combine a new generation of innovative building materials with components to create high-performance HVAC, controls, lighting, windows and building envelope sub-systems and systems, as well as on-site power systems.

The research teams then will work to integrate these separate building systems into N-ZEB optimized whole-building solutions with the goal of achieving very aggressive energy, demand, carbon and operating cost savings, as well as improved occupant comfort and health. Measured results from physical testing will be enhanced and extended with the use of powerful building simulation tools.

 ”The User Facility will help building industry component and system suppliers to create cost-effective, integrated building systems that deliver the performance required by net-zero energy buildings,” says Mary Ann Piette, deputy head of the Building Technologies Department. “For the owner-designer-specifier community, it will demonstrate and verify that these systems deliver the required energy performance.”

www.oikos.com

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The standard defines what green practices can be incorporated into residential development and construction on a national scale and how home owners can operate and maintain their green homes.

As part of the stringent process required by ANSI, NAHB and the International Code Council assembled a fully inclusive and representative consensus committee composed of a broad spectrum of builders, architects, product manufacturers, regulators and environmental experts. This group deliberated the content of the standard for more than a year, held four public hearings and evaluated more than 2,000 public comments submitted for consideration.

The NAHB Research Center, an ANSI Accredited Standards Developer, administered the development of the standard. The Research Center also administers a national verification and certification program for green homes through NAHBGreen, the NAHB National Green Building Program, and can now offer certification for residential projects to this new standard.

www.nahb.org

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Green Footstep also shows designers how to comply with specific design goals such as LEED’s energy credits and the 2030 Challenge, the organization that has challenged designers to make all new buildings carbon neutral by 2030. Edward Mazria, founder and executive director of Architecture 2030, says, “Rocky Mountain Institute’s Green Footstep is an extremely valuable goal-setting and evaluation tool that will help building designers assess a project’s carbon emission impacts with regard to site, construction and operations. Because the 2030 Challenge is integrated into the program, this tool can also help designers in their efforts to meet or exceed the 2030 Challenge targets.”

Michael Bendewald, an analyst with RMI who developed the online version, called Green Footstep a “designer’s tool” that designers can use to make specific design decisions that reduce carbon emissions on residential and commercial new and retrofit building construction projects, from pre-design through occupancy.

It’s also an educational tool that helps users understand a building’s life cycle carbon footprint. “Since we all have bank accounts, allow me to use an accounting metaphor to explain Green Footstep’s way of showing a project’s carbon emissions,” Bendewald explains. “The native-state carbon storage of a site, including such things as standing timber and other vegetation that existed before development, is the amount of carbon the owner of the facility ‘owns.’ Any carbon emissions send the owner into a ‘carbon debt.’ In order for a project to be ‘carbon neutral,’ this debt must be paid off and the original amount of carbon – equal in magnitude to the native-state carbon storage – must be restored. Green Footstep allows designers to adjust design targets, such as building energy use intensity and incorporating more renewables that will get the building out of the carbon debt edging the building closer to carbon neutrality.”

Green Footstep’s web site provides case studies so users can explore how Green Footstep has allowed past projects to reach their carbon reduction goals. Users can also create a login that allows them to save and reload their own projects as they work on them.

Source: www.oikos.com

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The HOI showed that 70.1 percent of all new and existing homes sold in the third quarter of 2009 were affordable to families earning the national median income of $64,000, down slightly from a near-record 72.3 percent during the previous quarter and up from 56.1 percent during the third quarter of 2008.

“At a time when housing is at its most affordable, we applaud the recent actions taken by Congress and President Obama to stimulate housing by extending the federal tax credit beyond its Nov. 30 deadline and expanding it to a wider group of eligible home buyers,” said NAHB Chairman Joe Robson, a home builder from Tulsa, Okla. “With interest rates now lower than last quarter, the tax credit will encourage even more home buyers to enter the market and help stabilize housing and the economy by creating new jobs, stimulating home sales, reducing foreclosures, cutting excess inventories and stabilizing home prices.”

Indianapolis was the most affordable major housing market in the country during the third quarter, a position the metro area now has held for 17 consecutive quarters. Almost 95 percent of all homes sold were affordable to households earning the area’s median family income of $68,100.

Also near the top of the list of the most affordable major metro housing markets were Youngstown-Warren-Boardman, Ohio-Pa., and three Michigan metropolitan areas, Detroit-Livonia-Dearborn; Warren-Troy-Farmington Hills; and Grand Rapids-Wyoming.

Five smaller housing markets posted even higher affordability scores than Indianapolis, with Kokomo, Ind. outscoring all others. There, 96.7 percent of homes sold during the third quarter of 2009 were affordable to median-income earners. Other smaller housing markets near the top of the index included Springfield, Ohio; Bay City, Mich.; Mansfield, Ohio; and Elkhart-Goshen, Ind.

New York-White Plains-Wayne, N.Y.-N.J., was the nation’s least affordable major housing market during the third quarter of 2009, the New York metro area’s sixth consecutive appearance at the bottom of the list. Slightly more than 19 percent of all homes sold during the third quarter were affordable to those earning the New York area’s median income of $64,800.

The other major metro areas near the bottom of the affordability scale included San Francisco; Honolulu; Santa Ana-Anaheim-Irvine, Calif.; and Nassau-Suffolk, N.Y.

San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, Calif. was the least affordable of the smaller metro housing markets in the country during the third quarter. Others near the bottom of the chart included Ocean City, N.J.; Santa Cruz-Watsonville, Calif.; Santa Barbara-Santa Maria-Goleta, Calif.; and Brownsville-Harlingen, Texas.

Source: www.nahb.org

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If someone in your home has health problems or is ill, polluted indoor air can make them feel worse. For example, asthma is a lung disease that affects a growing number of children. Indoor air pollution can make it worse. insects and other pests can also be a real problem for people with asthma or allergies. For example, cockroach and dust mite droppings cause asthma attacks in some people. Pesticides can help fight these pests but they can be dangerous.

Source: http://www.pueblo.gsa.gov

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Mold grows in wet or damp places. It often smells musty. Many people are allergic to mold. Some kinds of mold are toxic, and coming in contact with large amounts of mold may cause health problems for you or your family.

Carbon monoxide is a deadly gas that can come from appliances that burn gas, oil, coal, or wood, and are not working as they should. Car exhaust also has carbon monoxide. You cannot see, taste, or smell carbon monoxide.

Source: http://www.pueblo.gsa.gov

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Don’t smoke in your home or car. Never smoke near your children.

Pay attention to housekeeping. Taking care of food and spills right away keeps bugs and pests away. A clean home is a healthier home.

Open windows or use fans to let in fresh air whenever someone uses chemicals in the home or garage.

Ask the sales person to unroll new carpet and leave it to air out for at least one day before bringing it into your home. Put in carpet in a season when you can open windows for several days afterwards. Vacuum the old carpet well before you remove it to reduce dust.

Let new furniture and building materials air out for a few days before bringing them inside. Before buying new things for your home, ask for products made with non-toxic chemicals and materials. Some non-toxic or green building products cost more money. You need to decide if the cost is worth it to protect the health of your family.

Keep pets out of bedrooms and living areas.

Source: http://www.pueblo.gsa.gov

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Earning the CGP demonstrates to clients and peers your commitment to the best and latest in green building practices and techniques. More than 4,100 people have earned the CGP designation to date.

Source: http://www.nchba.org/

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The Green Lending Specialist designation is designed to be compatible with the NAHB Certified Green Professional (CGP) designation and similar programs for real estate agents and others in the building industry.

The subject matter includes green building techniques and practices as well as additional information on rating systems, including the National Green Building Standard; appraising; green lending and energy-efficient mortgages; greening Multiple Listing Service providers; and marketing and educational tools.

Lenders can find course dates and locations at www.porterworks.com and can also contact PorterWorks, Inc. at 360-631-5631 to schedule training.

Source: http://www.nchba.org/

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Source: http://www.nchba.org/

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